Freight binding device



March 5, 1968 F. s. MACOMBER 3,371,315

FREIGHT BINDING DEVICE Filed June 8, 1965 Q 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 March 5,1968 F. s. MACOMBERY 3,371,815

FREIGHT BINDING DEVICE 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed June 8, 1965 March 5, 1968F. s. MACOMBER 3,371,315

FREIGHT BINDING DEVICE Filed June 8, 1965 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 kyy z/mz orran/film J/Vcomfier March 5, 1968 I s. MACOMBER 3,371,815

FREIGHT BINDING DEVICE Filed June 8, 1965 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 62c 65%:-:z2'5;f-ii i fi i iii jjiii:\\ /9 7 March 5, 1968 F. s. MACOMBER3,371,815

FREIGHT BINDING DEVICE Filed June 8, 1965 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 If I 92United States Patent 3,371,815 FREIGHT BINDING DEVICE Franklin S.Macomher, Park Ridge, 111., assignor to A. T.

Kearney Personnel Services, Chicago, 11]., a copartnershipContinuation-impart of application Ser. No. 384,491,

July 22, 1964. This application June 8, 1965, Ser.

23 Claims. (Cl. 220-15) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A freight bindingmember comprising a generally upright wrapper which is connected at itslower end to at least one edge of a generally rectangular rigid base orpallet and which is of a length equal to at least approximately one-halfthe perimeter of the base so that the wrapper is capable of being heldin tension around freight disposed on the base by tension straps or thelike connected to the wrapper and yet the wrapper will permit thefreight to extend beyond the edges of the base on sides thereof notconnected to the wrapper.

The present application is a continuation-in-part of my copendingapplication, Ser. No. 384,491, filed July 22, 1964, entitled, FreightBinding Device, which copending application is being abandoned upon thefiling of the present application.

The present invention relates to a freight carrier or binder for bindingLTL or less than truck load freight shipments. More specifically, theinvention relates to a collapsible binding device for unitizing orwrapping a freight shipment, the binder being adjustable in the sensethat it is capable of sizing itself to various size loads with a minimumof lost space or cube loss.

Heretofore, it has been common to use cargo cages to carry LTL or lessthan truck load freight shipments in order to avoid individual piecehandling as the freight is transported from shipper to consignee. Suchcargo cages commonly include a base mounted on four wheels, four uprightmetal sides one of which has a door, and in many cases a top, wherebyLTL freight shipments may be loaded into a cargo cage and carriedtherein in a truck or highway trailer as a unitized shipment. Thus,cargo cages are used for collecting a number of medium size and smallshipments going to the same destination, whereby such shipments may beunitized in the cage and the loaded cage transported on a high-waytrailer or the like. Such cages are also often used to move freight outof one trailer and into another.

While cargo cages of the type described above have found fairlyextensive use due to the fact that they save time and labor byeliminating a certain amount of individual piece handling, they aresubject to several disadvantages which limit their utility in freighthandling. Thus, cargo cages are of a fixed size, and in the normalsituation the size of the freight shipment to be unitized will notcorrespond closely with the fixed depth and width of the cage, wherebythere is cube loss due to the left over space which no carton will fit.There is further cube loss between the floor of the cage and the floorof the truck in which the cage is transported due to the fact that suchcages are mounted on wheels. In addition, because of the fixed cubiccapacity of cargo cages, it is often necessary as a practical matter toload such cages with more than one shipment to a given destination, withthe results that the different shipments must be rehandled at thedestination terminal. Furthermore, cargo cages of the type described areexpensive, they are not normally collapsible when empty, and becausethey have wheels they must be tied down or immobilized in some mannerwhen being transported on a truck.

One object of the present invention is to provide an improved device forunitizing LTL freight shipments in the general size range of pounds to3000 pounds which device avoids substantially all of the foregoingdisadvantages of the cargo cages presently used.

Another object of the invention is to provide a freight binding devicewhich is unusually inexpensive to manufacture and yet is durable in use.

A further object is to provide a freight binder which is adjustable inthe sense that it is capable of sizing itself to a load so as to avoidsubstantially all cube loss.

An additional object of the invention is to provide a freight bindingdevice which is light in weight and is collapsible when empty so as tobe easily carried to a location where freight is to be loaded and boundtherein.

In furtherance of the foregoing objects, I provide a freight bindingdevice having a rigid base which may for example be made of plywood andwhich is designed to provide access therebeneath for the blades of aspecial two-wheel hand truck fork lift or the like which may be used totransport a loaded binder. A generally upright flexible wrapper memberis secured to the base along one edge of the latter, and the wrapper isdesigned so that it can be folded or bent along a plurality of generallyvertical hinges in order to at least partially wrap around a freightshipment stacked on top of the base member. In accordance with apreferred embodiment of the invention, the generally upright wrapper isfabricated from a sheet of polypropylene plastic which is of a thicknessof approximately 4; inch or less and which is provided with a pluralityof generally vertical scores which facilitate bending of the wrapper andthereby serve as hinges to permit the upright wrapper to be wrappedaround various size loads. In order to hold the wrapper around a loaddisposed on the base member, a plurality of straps or cords or the likeare attached at the respective ends of the wrapper for connectiontogether in order to hold the wrapper in tension around a load. It isimportant to understand that with such an arrangement the shipment mayextend beyond the base on any one of the three sides thereof which arenot connected to the wrapper, and thus shipments having substantiallyvarying width and depth dimensions can be bound in the foregoing freightbinder with substantially no lost space or cube loss. Since the uprightwrapper is flexible and can bend or fold along different vertical hingelines, the wrapper can adjust itself to Shipments of various widths anddepths. Extensions are provided which allow the height of the binder tobe varied from 3 feet to 7 feet in increments of one foot.

vention and having elastic shock cords with fasteners thereon secured tothe ends of a plastic wrapper for.

holding the latter in tension around a load;

FIGURE 2 is a top plan view showing the binding device of FIGURE 1 inits collapsed condition as when being transported empty to a locationwhere a freight shipment is to be bound;

FIGURE 3 is a perspective view of the collapsed binding device of FIGURE2;

FIGURE 4 is a perspective view showing the binding device of FIGURE 1 inuse to bind together a plurality of loaded shipping cartons which extendconsiderably beyond the base of the binding device on the front sidethereof;

FIGURE 5 is a top plan view of the shipping device of FIGURE 1 showingin solid lines the manner in which the device will bind a plurality offreight parcels having overall dimensions similar to the base of theshipping device, and showing in dash lines the approximate extent towhich freight parcels may extend beyond the base on any one of threesides thereof;

FIGURE 6 is a perspective view of an alternative form of the bindingdevice of the present invention having a somewhat longer Wrapper withattached non-elastic straps of a type which are secured together bylaying them in overlapping relation and pressing them together;

FIGURE 7 is a perspective view of another alternative embodiment of theinvention wherein a flexible wrapper is constructed from relativelyrigid vertical slats interconnected by flexible wires;

- FIGURE 8 is a front elevational view of the freight binding device ofFIGURE 7 showing the same when in its folded up or collapsed condition;

FIGURE 9 is a top plan view of the folded freight binding device ofFIGURE 8; and

FIGURE 10 is a reduced perspective view of a further alternativeembodiment of the invention wherein the flexible wrapper is constructedfrom relatively rigid vertical slats which are interconnected byflexible strip material.

Referring now to the drawings, FIGURE 1 shows a binding device 10 havinga lightweight plywood base 12 of rectangular configuration whichincludes three parallel planks 14 secured to the underside thereof toprovide space therebetween for insertion of the blades of a two wheelhand truck or the like. If desired, the base 12 may alternatively havenine blocks attached to its underside in such a manner that blades canbe inserted under the base from all four sides. A plastic wrapper 16 isprovided having a flap 18 at its lower edge which is of a lengthapproximately equal to the width of the base 12 and which is secured tothe base adjacent the rear edge thereof by heavy staples 20 or any othersuitable connecting means. The plastic wrapper 16 is preferably madefrom a sheet of polypropylene plastic having a thickness ofapproximately 4; inch. Alternate designs involve wire frames coveredwith canvas or vertical wooden slats bound with wire and hinged so thatthey bend around the freight in the same manner as the plastic wrapper,and certain such alternative embodiments will be described later herein.The wrapper 16 may be of any desired height, and in the embodimentdescribed in FIGURE 1 the length of the wrapper is approximately equalto the total length of three of the sides of the plywood base member 12.The wrapper 16 is generally rectangular in its configuration when laidout as a flat sheet, and while shown in solid form, it will beunderstood that various small apertures may be punched therein ifdesired in order to reduce its weight.

While the wrapper 16 comprises one unitary plastic sheet, it is intendedto be folded in order to form in effect a back wall 16 and a pair ofside walls 16", and to facilitate such folding the wrapper is scoredalong a plurality of ,vertical lines which act as hinges or fold lines.Thus, the wrapper 16 is scored along a vertical line 22a adjacent oneback corner of the base 12, and addi tional spaced score lines areprovided further outwardly along the length of the Wrapper at 22b, 22cand 22a. The wrapper is similarly scored proximate the opposite rearcorner of the base 12 as at score lines 24a, 24b, 24c and 24d.Consequently, if the width of a freight shipment being bound isapproximately the same as the width of the base 12, then the wrapper 16can be wrapped about three sides of the shipment by bending the wrapperalong the hinge lines 22a and 24a, the wrapper being held in tensionaround the freight by elastic cord means to be described hereinafter.However, if the freight is wider than the base 12 so as to extend beyondthe base at the opposite side edges thereof, the wrapper can readilyaccommodate such variations in the size of the load and can be wrappedpartially around the load by bending the wrapper at other hinge or scorelines disposed outwardly of the score lines 22a and 24a.

A plurality of cords are attached at the ends of the wrapper 16 in orderto hold the same in tension around freight parcels to be bound. Thus, atone end of the Wrapper 16 three upper cords 26a are provided, and at theopposite end of the wrapper three upper cords 26b are provided.Similarly, three lower cords 28a are provided at one end of the wrapper,and three oppositely disposed lower cords 28b are provided at the otherend of the Wrapper. The various cords may be anchored to the ends of thewrapper 16 by any suitable means. For example, the cords 26a may extendthrough small apertures in the wrapper and be anchored thereto byenlarged head members 30 which are secured to the cords and are toolarge to pass through the apertures in the wrapper thereby anchoring thecords thereto.

The cords 26a are interconnected by common tie bars 32 in order tofacilitate handling of the cords and prevent them from becoming tangledwith one another, and the oppositely disposed cords 2611 areinterconnected by a tie bar 34 having a pair of hooks 36 thereon whichhave a common handle 38 secured thereto, the hooks 36 being adapted tohook onto one of the tie bars 32 associated with the cords 26a.Accordingly, in order to fasten the upper cords around a freightshipment disposed on the base 12 and thereby hold the wrapper 16 intension in partially wrapped relation around the freight, the cords 26aand 26b are drawn across the front of the freight and the hooks 36 arehooked over one of the tie bars 32. In a similar manner, the lower cords28a are interconnected by tie bars 40, and the opposite cords 28b areinterconnected by a tie bar 42 having hooks 44 thereon and a commonhandle 46. In the embodiment of FIGURE 1, all of the cords showncomprise elastic shock cords which can be stretched around the freightand will thereby adjust to freight of various sizes.

FIGURE 4 shows a plurality of loaded corrugated shipping cartonsindicated at C bound by the binder device 10 of FIGURE 1. In thisparticular instance, the total width of the stacked cartons C isapproximately the same as the width of the plywood base 12, but thedepth of the cartons is substantially greater than that of the base 12and thus the freight extends well beyond the front edge of the base.However, the flexible wrapper 16 will fold so as to adjust to the sizeof the freight, and the elastic shock cords 26 and 28 are stretchedabout the front of the freight and hooked together so as to hold thewrapper in tension in partially wrapped relation around the freight.

FIGURE 5 provides a more complete illustration of the manner in whichthe freight binding device of the present invention is capable ofadjusting or sizing itself to a particular shipment. In FIGURE 5, thebinding device is shown in solid lines as when containing a freightshipment C having overall dimensions approximately equal to thedimensions of the base member 12. There is also shown in dotted lines atC the approximate maximum width of a freight shipment which can beaccommodated by the binder, and at C" there is shown the approximatemaximum depth of a freight shipment which can be accommodated. It willbe understood from the drawing that the binder 10 can accommodatefreight shipments having a range in width from the width of the base 12to a width of approximately two times that of the base, and canaccommodate shipments having a range in depth from the depth of the base12 to a depth of almost two times that of the base. FIGURE 5 furthershows the manner in which the wrapper 16 can be folded along differenthinge lines in accordance with the size of the shipment being bound.

As previously indicated, the binding device has no wheels and isintended when loaded to be transported to and from a highway trailer orthe like by means of a special two-wheel hand truck which providescomplete support of the unit load through two blades which are insertedto a depth of of the base width. Accordingly, when the binder isdisposed in a highway trailer, there is only approximately 1 /2 inchesof space loss between the floor of the trailer and the bottom of thelowest carton stacked on the binder base, and in addition, the binderwill remain stationary in the trailer without need for any tie-downmeans or the like to immobilize it. When not loaded, the binder 10 isfully collapsible to a condition where it is less than two inches thick,and since it does not weight more than about 25 pounds, it can bereadily carried from a truck to a loading terminal. FIGURES 2 and 3 showthe binder 10 in its collapsed condition, and it will be seen that thebase 12 can be folded up against the back 16' of the wrapper 16, andthen the ends 16" of the wrapper folded about the base in overlappingrelation to provide an unusually compact arrangement.

The wrapper 16 disclosed hereinabove can be made of several materialsbut in its more lasting version is preferably made of plastic, and whilevarious types of plastic may be used, it has been found thatpolypropylene plastic is particularly well suited, one eXample of suchmaterial being Tenite polypropylene manufactured by Eastman ChemicalProducts, Inc. Polypropylene plastic is extremely durable and shockresistant, and one of its special properties is its ability to form ahinge, since it is flexible and yet highly resistant to fatigue fromflexing. In the embodiment described herein, the wrapper 16 is scoredalong a number of vertical lines to facilitate flexing of the wrapper,although it will be understood that the wrapper could be providedwithout such scoring, if made of a sufliciently flexible material.

One of the important features of the binding device of the presentinvention resides in its simplicity, since it need comprise only a basemember, a flexible generally upright wrapper secured to the base,preferably along only one edge of the latter, and a plurality of cordsor straps attached to the wrapper. The wrapper is preferably a unitarysheet of plastic which is flexible enough to fold along differentvertical hinges or fold lines or the like in accordance with the size ofthe freight being bound, and yet it is desirable that the wrapper haveenough rigidity so that it will stand up by itself approximately asindicated in FIGURE 1. However, it is important to understand that thewrapper may take other forms, provided it is an upright wrapper capableof being secured to a base member and capable of bending or foldingabout a plurality of different vertical hinges. For example, the wrappermight be formed from wire bound crate material comprising a plurality ofvertical wooden slats interconnected by wires with hinges formed byhooking the wires together in loops, and one particular wire boundwrapper comprised of vertical slats will be described later herein.

It will of course be understood that the present invention is based onthe concept that most freight such as that packed in corrugated shippingcartons is durable and is designed to withstand many handlings andrelatively rough treatment during transportation. Consequently, suchfreight is sufficiently strong in itself to withstand normal abuse andto withstand a tension wrap as when bound by the binding device 10.Accordingly, the principal purpose of the binder 10 is not so much toprotect the freight as it is to unitize the freight and therebyeliminate individual piece handling.

While the binder of the present invention can to a very large extentsize itself to a particular load, it may still be found desirable toprovide such binders in more than one size, and in addition, verticalextensions may be provided to increase the height thereof as will bedescribed more fully hereinafter. Cube loss is substantially eliminatedsince the binder itself substantially assumes the shape of the freightwrapped therein. While various sizes may be utilized, one size found tobe particularly useful comprises a base member 30 inches in width and 30inches in depth, and with such an arrangement it is possible toaccommodate freight as wide as 58 inches or as deep as 45 inches, due tothe fact that the freight may extend Well beyond the base on three sidesthereof.

FIGURE 6 shows an alternative embodiment of the invention wherein alightweight plywood base 50 has an upright plastic wrapper 52 securedthereto by applying staples 54 to a flap 56 at the bottom of thewrapper, the wrapper being secured to the base only along one edgethereof. In this embodiment, the wrapper 52 is of a length approximatelyequal to the total periphery of the base 50, and three series of spacedvertical score lines are formed at 58, 60 and 62 thus providing threedistinct hinge areas which permit wrapping of the wrapper 52 about afreight shipment positioned on the base 50. It will thus be understoodthat when folded about a freight shipment, the wrapper 52 may in effectform four wall portions in contrast with the three wall portions formedby the binder of FIGURE 1. In order to secure the wrapper 52 in tensionabout a freight shipment, spaced straps or strips of material 64 aresecured along their length in horizontal parallel relation to one end ofthe wrapper, and a plurality of corresponding straps 66 each have oneend anchored by any suitable means to the other end of the wrapper.

The straps 64 and 66 may be made from a substantially non-elasticmaterial known as Velcro which sticks together when pressed inoverlapping relation to provide a connection having considerablestrength in tension. Thus, after stacking a shipment of freight on theplywood base 50, the wrapper 52 is folded and wrapped .at leastpartially around the freight, and the straps 66 are then laid on top ofthe corresponding strap members 64 and pressed thereagainst to hold thewrapper securely in tension about the freight. FIGURE 6 further shows avertical wrapper extension 52 having a plurality of vertical Velcrostraps 68 anchored thereto at. one end for cooperation with strips 70 ofVelcro secured along their length in vertical parallel relation adjacentthe upper end of the wrapper 52. Accordingly, in order to accommodateshipments of greater height than the wrapper 52, the wrapper extension52 may be connected to the upper end of wrapper 52, and straps 64 and66' are provided on the extension for holding the same in tension aroundthe freight.

Reference is now made to FIGURES 7-9 which illustrate an alternativeembodiment of the present invention wherein a flexible wrapper member iscomprised of vertical wooden slats interconnected by flexible wires.FIG- URE 7 shows a plywood base member 72 which has nine spaced blocks74 secured to the underside thereof (as 'best shown in FIGURE 8). Anupright rear wall member 76 is hingedly connected at its lower end tothe base member 72 adjacent the rear edge of the latter. In theembodiment shown the hinged connection is provided by a strip offlexible canvas cloth or the like 78 which is secured by heavy staples80 both to the lower end of the rear wall member 76 and the rear end ofthe base member 72, although it will be clear that other forms of hingedconnections may be utilized. The rear wall 76in the embodiment describedis made of plywood material similar to the base 72, although normally itneed. not be as thick as the base.

A plurality of wires 82a, 82b, 82c, 82d and 822 extend generallyhorizontally across the back of the rear wall 76 and are secured to suchwall by a plurality of heavy staples. The wires may be made of variousma terials including metal, but in the preferred embodiment they arefabricated from a plastic material such as polypropylene, and they areof a diameter of approximately 0.125 inch or less. It will be seen thatthe two wires 82a and 82]) are disposed fairly close together near theupper end of the rear wall 76, the two wires 82d and 82e are disposedfairly close together more toward the lower end of the rear wall 76, andthe wire 82c is disposed approximately intermediate the first-mentionedtwo pairs of wires.

It will be seen from FIGURE 7 that the five wires 82 are each muchlonger than the width of the rear wall 76 and thus extend well beyondthe side edges of the latter. Furthermore, a plurality of woodenvertical slats 84 are interconnected by means of the several wires 82which are secured to the slats by heavy staples 86. At one side of therear wall 76, the wires 82 extend beyond the end of the rear wall by adistance approximately equal to the width of the rear wall so thattogether with the slats 84 to which they are secured they define aflexible side wall or wrapper portion indicated generally at 88. At theother side of the rear wall 76, the wires 82 extend beyond the end ofthe rear wall by a distance approximately equal to twice the width ofthe rear wall, so as to define a flexible side wall or wrapper portionindicated generally at 90 which can be folded so as to comprise both aside wall and a front wall in the manner of the embodiment of FIGURE 6.In other words, the particular embodiment being described will provide awrapper comprising in essence four upright wall portions which dependingupon the size of the load may be wrapped substantially around the entireload. It will be understood, however, that the length of the wall 90 mayif desired be only approximately as long as the wall 88 so as to defineonly a side wall member, in which case the attached tension cords to bedescribed hereinbelow would be stretched across the front of the load tocomplete a tension wrap.

Three tension cords 92a, 92b and 92c each have one end anchored to thelast vertical slat 84 of the upright Wall 90, and each carries a hook atits other end as indicated at 94a, 94b and 940. Accordingly, a load tobe bound may be disposed on the base 72 and may overlap the base on anyof three sides thereof in the manner previously described, and theflexible wrapper comprising the wall members 88 and 90 may then bewrapped about the load. The hooks -92 which extend from the wrapper wallportion 90 may be hooked over one of the vertical slats 84 of thewrapper wall portion 88 so as to secure the wrapper in tension about afreight shipment. In addition, as shown in FIGURE 7, a pair of plasticsemi-elastic straps 96a and 96b are anchored to the base member 72 andextend outwardly beyond the front edge of the base. The straps 96a and96b have snap members at the ends thereof which cooperate with selectedones of a plurality of apertures 98 formed in the slats 84 whichconstitute the wrapper wall member 90. Thus, after the wall members 88and 90 are wrapped about the load, the straps 96a and 96b may beextended upwardly over the outside of the wall member 90 and the ends ofsuch straps may be snapped into selected ones of the apertures 98 tosecure the straps to the slats 84. In this manner, the base 72 is tiedtogether with the front face of the unitized load so as to prevent thebase from pulling away from the load.

It will be understood from the foregoing that the embodiment of FIGURES79 provides a flexible wrapper which can be bent or folded about avertical axis between any desired pair of adjacent vertical slats 84.The slats 84 are themselves relatively rigid and in the embodimentdescribed are made of wood, but the wires 82 are flexible and in theembodiment described are made of plastic. Thus, due to the flexibilityof the wires, the wrapper walls 88 and 90 can be folded along a verticalaxis at any of the locations where the wires extend between adjacentvertical slats. Accordingly, the embodiment of FIGURES 79 will providesubstantially the same advantages previously described with respect tothe embodiment of FIG- 8 URES 15 and will size itself to a loadsubstantially in the manner illustrated in FIGURE 5.

It will be noted that the flexible wrapper 16 of FIG- URE 1 is flexiblethroughout its length, whereas the upright wall members in theembodiment of FIGURE 7 comprise the rigid rear wall 76 together with theflexible wrapper walls 88 and 98. The factthat the rear wall 76 is rigiddoes not minimize the versatility of the wire bound wrapper of FIGURE 7,since the freight shipment to be bound can still extend beyond the base72 on three sides thereof in the same manner as in the embodiment ofFIGURE 1, and the wrapper walls 88 and can wnap around the load and bendat various locations depending upon the size of the load. On the otherhand, it will be understood that if desired the rigid rear wall 76 maybe eliminated and a plurality of vertical slats 84 substituted therefor,in which caes the lower ends of some of the slats would be hingedlyconnected to the base 72.

Referring to FIGURES 8 and 9, the freight binder of FIGURES 79 iscollapsed by first folding the base member 72 upwardly so that it liesagainst the front of the upright wall 76, then folding the flexiblewrapper wall member 88 across the front or outside of the upright basemember, and then wrapping the wrapper member 90 first around the frontof the collapsed binder so as to overlie the wall 88 and then around theback of the rear wall 76. The elastic cords 9 2 may be extendedhorizontally and the hooks 94 hooked onto one of the vertical slats 84so as in effect to tie the collapsed binder together in a compactpackage. It is a significant advantage of this embodiment of theinvention that when the binder is collapsed the feet or base blocks 74will extend between pairs of adjacent vertical slats 84. By spacing thevertical slats 84 far enough apart to accommodate the blocks 74therebetween when the binder is collapsed in the manner described above,the resultant thickness of the collapsed binder is reduced appreciably.

FIGURE 10 shows a further modification of the freight binding device ofthe present invention comprising a base 100, an upright rear wall 102which is hingedly connected at its lower end to the base, a plurality ofhorizontal straps 104 made of canvas or plastic or other flexiblematerial, and a plurality of vertical wood slats 106, the straps beingconnected to the back of the rear wall 102 and the several slats beinginterconnected by the flexible straps which are secured thereto. Theresulting upright portion of the binder comprises the rear wall 102 anda pair of flexible wrapper wall portions indicated generally at 108 and110. The embodiment of FIGURE 10 differs from the embodiment of FIGURES79 principally in that the flexible straps 104- are provided rather thanthe flexible wires 82, and also because the two flexible wrapperportions 108 and 110 are approximately of equal length. The ends of thestraps 104 may be secured to one another in the manner describedrelative to the straps 66 of FIGURE 6 in order to hold the wrapper intension about a freight shipment.

While I have described my invention in certain preferred forms, I do notintend to be limited to such forms, except insofar as the appendedclaims are limited, since modifications and changes within the scope ofmy invention will readily occur to those skilled in the art,particularly with my disclosure before them.

I claim:

1. A freight binding device for binding together less than truck loadfreight shipments or other merchandise, comprising, in combination, agenerally rectangular base member for vertically supporting a freightshipment to be bound, generally upright wrapper means secured at itslower end to said base along at least one edge of the latter for atleast partial wrapping around a freight shipment disposed on said base,said wrapper means being of a length equal to at least approximatelyone-half the perimeter of said base and being flexible about a pluralityof different approximately vertical axes in order to permit wrappingthereof around freight of various overall dimensions, whereby thewrapper will size itself to the freight while permitting the latter toextend beyond said base at sides thereof not connected to said wrapper,and releasable connecting means associated with said wrapper for holdingthe same in tension in at least partially wrapped relation around saidfreight.

2. A freight binding device for binding together less than truck loadfreight shipments or other merchandise, comprising, in combination, abase member for vertically supporting a freight shipment to be bound,said base being generally rectangular and having front and rear edgesand a pair of oppositely disposed side edges, generally upright wrappermeans secured at its lower end along the rear edge of said base for atleast partial wrapping around a freight shipment disposed on said base,said wrapper being free of the other three edges of said base and beingflexible about a plurality of different approximately vertical axes inorder to permit wrapping thereof around freight of various overalldimensions, whereby the wrapper will size itself to the freight whilepermitting the latter to extend beyond said base at said other threeedges thereof, and releasable connecting means associated with saidwrapper for holding the same in tension in at least partially wrappedrelation around said freight.

3. A freight binding device for binding together less than truck loadfreight shipments, comprising, in combination, a base member forvertically supporting a freight shipment to be bound, said base-beinggenerally rectangular and having front and rear edges and a pair ofoppositely disposed side edges, generally upright wrapper means of alength at least approximately equal to the total length of the rear andside edges of said base and secured at its lower end along the rear edgeof said base for at least partial wrapping around a freight shipmentdisposed on said base, said wrapper being free of the other three edgesof said base and being flexible about a plurality of differentapproximately vertical axes in order to permit wrapping thereof aroundfreight of various overall dimensions, whereby the wrapper will sizeitself to the freight while permitting the latter to extend beyond saidbase at said other three edges thereof, and releasable connecting meansassociated with said wrapper for holding the same in tension in at leastpartially wrapped relation around said freight. Y

4. The invention of claim 3 wherein said wrapper means is also flexibleabout a generally horizontal axis proximate to the rear edge of saidbase to permit said base to be folded up against said wrapper means inorder to collapse said freight binding device.

5. A freight binding device for binding together less than truck loadfreight shipments, comprising, in combination, a rigid base member forvertically supporting a freight shipment to be bound, said base beinggenerally rectangular and having front and rear edges and a pair ofoppositely disposed side edges, wrapper means of a length at leastapproximately equal to the total length of the rear and side edges ofsaid base and secured at its lower end along the rear edge of said basefor at least partial wrapping around a freight shipment disposed on saidbase, said wrapper means being free of the other three edges of saidbase, and said wrapper means being sufficiently rigid to normally standgenerally upright from said base and yet being flexible about aplurality of different approximately vertical axes in order to permitwrapping thereof around freight of various overall dimensions, wherebythe wrapper will size itself to the freight while permitting the latterto extend beyond said base at said other three edges thereof, saidwrapper means also being flexible about a generally horizontal axisproximate to the rear edges of said base to permit said base to befolded up against said wrapper means in order to collapse said freightbinding device, and releasable connecting means associated with saidwrapper means and operable at respective ends thereof for holding thewrapping in tension in at least partially wrapped relation around saidfreight.

6. A freight binding device for binding together less than truck loadfreight shipments, comprising, in combination, a generally rectangularrigid base member for vertically supporting a freight shipment to bebound, generally upright wrapper means comprising a unitary plasticsheet secured at its lower end to said base along at least one edge ofthe latter for at least partial wrapping around a freight shipmentdisposed on said base, said plastic sheet being of a length equal to atleast approximately one-half the perimeter of said base and beingflexible about a plurality of different approximately vertical foldlines in order to permit wrapping thereof around freight of variousoverall dimensions, whereby the plastic sheet will size itself to thefreight while permitting the latter to extend beyond said base at sidesthereof not connected to said sheet, and releasable connecting means:associated with said plastic sheet for holding the same in tension in atleast partially wrapped relation around said freight.

7. The invention of claim 6 wherein said wrapping means is made from asheet of polypropylene plastic.

8. A freight binding device for binding together lass than truck loadfreight shipments, comprising, in combination, a generally rectangularrigid base member for vertically supporting a freight shipment to bebound, wrapper means comprising a unitary plastic sheet secured at itslower end to said base along at least one edge of the latter for atleast partial wrapping around a freight shipment disposed on said base,said plastic sheet being of a length equal to at least approximatelyone-half the perimeter of said base and being sufliciently rigid tonormally stand generally upright from said base, and said plastic sheetbeing scored along a plurality of different approximately vertical foldlines in order to increase the flexibility of said plastic sheet aboutsuch lines and thereby permit wrapping of said plastic sheet aroundfreight of various overall dimensions, whereby said plastic sheet willsize itself to the freight while permitting the latter to extend beyondsaid base at sides thereof not connected to said sheet, and releasableconnecting means associated with said plastic sheet for holding the samein tension in at least partially wrapped relation around said freight.

9. A freight binding device for binding together less than truck loadfreight shipments, comprising, in combination, a rigid base member forvertically supporting a freight shipment to be bound, said base beinggenerally rectangular and having front and rear edges and a pair ofoppositely disposed side edges, wrapper means comprising a unitaryplastic sheet secured at its lower end along the rear edge of said basefor at least partial wrapping around a freight shipment disposed on saidbase, said plastic sheet being free of the other three edges of saidbase and being sufficiently rigid to normally stand generally uprightfrom said base, and said plastic sheet being flexible about a pluralityof different approximately vertical fold lines in order to permitwrapping thereof around freight of various overall dimensions, wherebysaid plastic sheet will size itself to the freight while permitting thelatter to extend beyond said base at said other three edges thereof, andreleasable connecting means associated with said plastic sheet forholding the same in tension in at least partially wrapped relationaround said freight.

10. The invention of claim 9 wherein said plastic sheet is scored alongsaid plurality of different approximately vertical fold lines in orderto increase the flexibility of said plastic sheet about such lines.

11. The invention of claim 9 wherein said plastic sheet is also flexibleabout a generally horizontal fold line proximate to the rear edge ofsaid base to permit said base to be folded up against said plastic sheetin order to collapse said freight binding device.

12. The invention of claim 9 wherein said plastic sheet is made frompolypropylene plastic.

13. The invention of claim 9 wherein the length of said plastic sheet isat least approximately equal to the total length of the rear and sideedges of said base.

14. The invention of claim 9 wherein said connecting means compriseselastic cords secured in vertically spaced relation at opposite ends ofsaid plastic sheet.

15. The invention of claim 9 wherein said connecting means comprisessubstantially non-elastic strips secured in vertically spaced relationat opposite ends of said plastic sheet.

16. A freight binding device for binding together less than truck loadfreight shipments, comprising, in combination, a rigid base member forvertically supporting a freight shipment to be bound, said base beinggenerally rectangular and having front and rear edges and a pair ofoppositely disposed side edges, wrap-per means comprising a unitaryplastic sheet of a length at least approximately equal to the totallength of the rear and side edges of said base and secured at its lowerend along the rear edge of said base for at least partial wrappingaround a freight shipment disposed on said base, said plastic sheetbeing free of the other three edges of said base and being sufficientlyrigid to normally stand generally upright from said base, said plasticsheet being scored to render the same flexible about a plurality ofdifferent approximately vertical fold lines in order to permit wrappingthereof around freight of various overall dimensions, whereby saidplastic sheet will size itself to the freight while permitting thelatter to extend beyond said base at said other three edges thereof, andsaid plastic sheet also being flexible about a generally horizontal foldline proximate to the rear edge of said base to permit said base to befolded up against said wrapper means in order to collapse said freightbinding device, and releasable connecting means associated with saidplastic sheet for holding the same in tension in at least partiallywrapped relation around said freight.

17. A freight binding device for binding together less than truck loadfreight shipments or other merchandise, comprising, in combination, agenerally rectangular base member for vertically supporting a freightshipment to be bound, generally upright wrapper means secured at itslower end to said base along at least one edge of the latter for atleast partial wrapping around a freight shipment disposed on said base,said wrapper means being of a length equal to at least approximatelyone-half the perimeter of said base and including a plurality of relatively rigid slats disposed approximately vertically and in spacedapart side-by-side relation, flexible means interconnecting saidplurality of slats so as to render said generally upright wrapperflexible about a plurality of different approximately vertical axesintermediate adjacent slats in order to permit wrapping thereof aroundfreight of various overall dimensions, whereby the wrapper will sizeitself to the freight while permitting the latter to extend beyond saidbase at sides thereof not connected to said wrapper, and releasableconnecting means associated with said wrapper for holding the same intension in at least partially wrapped relation around said freight.

18. A freight binding device for binding together less than truck loadfreight shipments or other merchandise, comprising, in combination, abase member for vertically supporting a freight shipment to be bound,said base being generally rectangular and having front and rear edgesand a pair of oppositely disposed side edges, generally upright wrappermeans secured at its lower end along the rear edge of said base for atleast partial wrapping around a freight shipment disposed on said base,said wrapper being free of the other three edges of said base, and saidwrapper comprising a plurality of relatively rigid slats disposedapproximately vertically and in spaced apart side-by-side relation,flexible means interconnecting said plurality of slats so as to rendersaid generally upright wrapper flexible about a plurality of differentapproximately vertically axes intermediate adjacent slats in order topermit wrapping thereof around freight of various overall dimensions,whereby the wrapper will size itself to the freight while permitting thelatter to extend beyond said base at said other three edges thereof, andreleasable connecting means associated with said wrapper for holding thesame in tension in at least partially wrapped relation around saidfreight.

19. The invention of claim 17 wherein said flexible means forinterconnecting said slats comprises a plurality of flexible wires whichextend generally transversely to said vertical slats and are securedthereto.

20. The invention of claim 17 wherein said vertical slats are made ofwood and said flexible means for interconnecting said slats comprises aplurality of flexible wires which extend generally transversely to saidvertical slats and are secured thereto.

21. The invention of claim 17 wherein said flexible means forinterconnecting said slats comprises a plurality of flexible strips offabric which extend generally transversely to said vertical slats andare secured thereto.

22. A freight binding device for binding together less than truck loadfreight shipments or other merchandise, comprising, in combination, abase member for vertically supporting a freight shipment to be bound,said base being generally rectangular and having front and rear edgesand a pair of oppositely disposed side edges, a generally uprightrelatively rigid rear wall hingedly secured at its lower end along therear edge of said base, and generally upright wrapper means secured ateach end of said rear wall for at least partial wrapping around afreight shipment disposed on said base, said wrapper means being free ofthe other three edges of said base, and said wrapper comprising aplurality of wooden slats disposed approximately vertically and inspaced apart side-by-side relation, a plurality of plastic wiresextending generally transversely to said plurality of slats and securedthereto so as to interconnect said slats and render said Wrapperflexible about a plurality of different approximately vertical axesintermediate adjacent slats in order to permit wrapping thereof aroundfreight of various overall dimensions, whereby the wrapper will sizeitself to the freight while permitting the latter to extend beyond saidbase at said other three edges thereof, and releasable connecting meansassociated with said Wrapper for holding the same in tension in at leastpartially wrapped relation around said freight.

23. The invention of claim 22 wherein the length of said wrapper meansincluding the length of said upright rear wall is at least approximatelyequal to the total length of the rear and side edges of said base.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,696,360 12/1954 Toffolon 10855THERON E. CONDON, Primary Examiner.

JAMES B. MARBERT, Examiner.

